Without You
by hotelchelsea
Summary: Veronica was born lost and out of place, a girl who's sure her moral compass is busted. The only people who seem to understand her are Eyeball Chambers and his group of reckless rebels who call the outside of the social norm home. When Veronica starts to have feelings for the Chambers boy, things become more confusing and out of place than she's ever had to deal with before.
1. Chapter 1

**Dear Reader,**

**Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this story (:**

**I wrote "Complications" last year (some of you may remember it) and I was shocked that it got the response that it did, I never expected to get almost sixty reviews! I wanted to thank everyone for the continuous support and reviews, it meant a lot. **

**I deleted Complications about two months ago, and I apologize if you guys didn't get any warning about it just disappearing like that! I tend to be a very indecisive human being and I'm the worst for deleting stories. Thank you for putting up with that. ****I made the decision that Complications needed some serious work, so I decided to rewrite the entire story. I have been going through a real reading phase lately and I found that it has somewhat helped with my writing skills and I wanted to give it another go. All characters will have the same names, and there will be some of the original plot line in there, but most of it will be changed for the better! ****I've missed Roni and Ritchie terribly, and I can't wait to get back into writing this story! **

**Happy reading :)**

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The Summer air was strangely bitter and unforgiving, I couldn't get rid of the toxic taste of vomit and alcohol on my tongue. I plunked down in the middle of the vacant road, drawing my legs to my chest and staring out at its vast emptiness, somewhat hoping that a car would run me over and put me out of my misery, but the midnight roads of Castle Rock were as deserted as can be. The house I had abandoned moments before was full of life, the drunken shouting and laughter of teenagers filled the streets, leaking through the glowing windows. It felt as if someone was shaking the world around me like someone would with a snow globe.

"Roni, get off the road. You're gonna' get yourself run over." I heard a voice say, I didn't even bother to turn around, I knew it was Eyeball Chambers.

I thought of replying back with something smart, like I always did, but I was far too tired. Instead I shrugged and mumbled something under my breath that I can't recall, my head bobbing up and down lazily like a piece of driftwood in the ocean. I heard Eyeball sigh, mumbling his sympathies before putting his hands under my armpits and hoisting me up to my feet. I let out a grunt in protest, but wasn't able to exactly word that I didn't want to be moved from my spot. A few small pebbles from the road were imbedded into the back of my thighs, I sluggishly brushed them away.

"You're such a fuckin' lightweight Parker, honestly." Eyeball snorted, as he tried to get me to stand properly. "How much did you have to drink? Where the hell have you been all night?"

"None of your goddamn business." I grumbled, "You're not my dad-"

I felt a large lump forming in my throat, even though I was heavily intoxicated the words that eased out of my mouth stung worse than the pebbles gouged into the back of my thighs. Before I could even register my exact emotions, I was crying. Ritchie instantly pulled me into a hug, and I wept until his shirt was soaked with my tears. I had convinced everyone that I was fine after my father's death, but I knew I wasn't. I wasn't remotely close.

"Come on." Ritchie finally said, "I'll drive you home."

I remember short fragments of that drive home in Ritchie's Ford Convertible. The smell of fresh-cut grass, the way the night breeze chilled my tear-soaked face, how I stumbled out of the car to throw up once more all over my front lawn. I could recall the panic in my sister's voice as Eyeball helped me through the front door of my home. I recognized through blurry eyes, the dimmed lighting of my home and the smell of Chanel perfume in my sister's hair. The last thing I remembered from that night was the cool white sheets of my bed as someone set me down.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here is a redo of chapter two c: I made some more edits to this chapter, I'm really annoying I know but I promise it's for the best!**

**In the original chapter two I wrote a mention for CastleRockGirl because she's truly amazing. I just wanted to say you're awesome! I love your writing and you're a huge inspiration to me! I have your stories bookmarked ;)**

**I'd also like to thank ****tomieharley**** for an amazing review as well! I'm so glad you liked the story! **

**Enjoy!**

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The Summer weather was especially humid and tight. The rusty smell of blood and sweat filled the moist air. I heard Charlie Hogan shout out the occasional curse word as Eyeball sunk the dull razor blade into his taut skin. Trickles of crimson dripped down Charlie's arm, glimmering under the bright sun. Eyeball had the steadiest hand in the group so he was always on tattoo duty, Eyeball had done his own tattoos on his knuckles and they were surprisingly neat and clean, little symbols that I didn't really understand, written in black ink.

I watched the boys carve words into each other's skin from the driver's seat of Eyeball's convertible. This was my usual spot when we drove out to the vacant lot outside of town, I liked to sit here and read the MAD magazines that were mixed in with Ace's Playboy collection in the glove department, I liked to feel the cool leather interior against my clammy skin. I sat comfortably with my feet against the dashboard, even though the pressure behind my eyes was deeply uncomfortable and I'd thrown up twice before I went out this morning, I was somewhat content.

"You sure you don't want one?" Eyeball called out to me, gesturing to the bloody razor in his hand. I could understand the charm of it all, but I didn't want someone carving into my skin. Even if that someone was my best friend.

"No thanks." I shook my head, watching a droplet of blood expand on the leg of Charlie's blue jeans.

"You chicken?" Ace Merrill grinned sliding himself out from under the hood of his car, there was a series of oil smudges all over his shirt.

Ace Merrill was the leader of our gang, and the eldest out of all of us. He was nineteen, but he looked older than that. Ace always had this aura around him that got people to stay the hell out of his way. He was a heartless rebel, a person who's had so many people turn their back on him that his heart turned cold. I guess that was the case with all of us, that's why we always hung around one another, because life had decided we weren't worth helping. God, if there was one— put us kids whose moral compasses had been broken, on a shelf to collect dust.

"Are you almost done? I'm bleeding buckets here." Charlie groaned, shifting back and forth uncomfortably.

"Would you quit being such a fucking pussy? You don't enough blood coming out of here to feed a mosquito." Eyeball scoffed, "If you'd stop moving around and whining, I would've been done five minutes ago."

Let me tell you a few things about Charlie Hogan. Charlie just had his sixteenth birthday last week, and is the youngest Cobra in the group. He is an awkward skinny kid who has mousey features and a badly shaped blonde crew cut. He always wears sweatshirts with the sleeves cut off to show off his "fuck the world" tattoo he received when he first joined the gang. Charlie and I were the same age, and the "babies" of the group. We went together for two weeks last year but we realized that we were way better off as friends, and really great friends we were.

When Eyeball finally finished his masterpiece on Charlie's arm, he sauntered over to me with his hands shoved into his pockets. Dust from the gravel surrounded him with each footstep. He slid into the passenger seat next to me, letting out a tired sigh. I watched Charlie smile with pride as Billy Tessio cleaned some of the dried blood off his arm.

"How you holding' up?" Eyeball mumbled loud enough so that I could hear.

"Good. I feel a lot better now that I'm outside."

"That's good. Drink?." Ritchie gestured to the sliver flask that he'd fished out of his pocket and I shot him a knowing look.

"I'm hungover enough thanks." I scoffed and Ritchie laughed.

He adjusted his seat so it went all the way back and he closed his eyes. I watched him for a minute, I noticed the band of his underwear sticking out of his jeans as he stretched. "Join me, will ya?"

I nodded and adjusted my seat so I was at his level. I looked up at the clear blue sky, clouds that resembled cotton balls drifted lazily to the beat of the soft music playing on the transistor radio. Who knew a dusty old vacant lot filled with garbage and junk could be so beautiful? I closed my eyes and scooted closer to Ritchie so that I could smell his hair gel and our heads could touch. The sun was beaming down on us was the perfect amount of warmth, the smell of wet concrete and pine trees drifted through the air. The sounds of my closest friends raising hell slowly started to drift and the only sound I could hear was the rise and fall of Eyeball's chest.


	3. Chapter 3

_My knuckles turn a milky white as I tighten the grip of the baseball bat in my hands. I'm standing on the carpeted floor of Eyeball's convertible, I'm unstable and my limbs are shaking. The heavy gusts of wind from speeding down the highway are almost enough to throw me out of the car, but I stand as still as I can. I let the back of my calves rest against Eyeball's legs, just in case I fall backward. The warmth through the fabric of his jeans against my skin relaxes me a bit as I get ready to swing at the shiny object a couple feet ahead. _

_"Here's one coming up. Hit the fucking thing this time, don't just stare at it." Ace says to me from the driver's seat, his mop of blonde hair flying about in every direction. _

_I get ready to swing. My hands are so clammy that I'm certain the bat is going to slip from my grip. The metal mailbox comes closer and closer as we drive towards it, I read the words "The Moore Family" painted delicately on the front with a series of colourful hand prints stamped all over the mailbox, all in various sizes. From an adult male to an infant. _

_I squeeze my eyes shut and swing as hard as I can —hard enough that the bat flies out of my hands. The sound and sight of metal crushing and smashing intoxicates me. Everything seems to move in slow motion. The mailbox flies off the wooden post it was sitting on, it spins and flies into the air, hitting the side of the road with an unexpected force. _

_"You're lucky I have another goddamn bat." Ace scoffs,_

_My friends cheer for me, but I'm not paying attention. I'm looking back at my masterpiece, the crushed and twisted wreck of the Moore family mailbox, blending into the murky Castle Rock horizon the farther we drive away._

_We've been out driving around the outskirts of town for hours. The two beer I downed earlier, make blowing off being grounded and sneaking out of my room seem unimportant. I'm having more fun than I've had in ages. Before I know it, it's almost two o' clock in the morning and I know that I should be home. I may luck out, my parents won't even notice I'm gone._

_I'm the first to notice the cop car parked in the driveway of my house, instead of my father's car. My friends are all teasing me for my parents being freaks and calling the cops on me, but the teasing stops when a scream reaches us in the car. The scream is coming from the charming little white house with the rose bushes on the front lawn, that house belongs to me. I feel dizzy, like I'm going to faint. _

_I get out of the car, ignoring my friends offers of help and concern. I start to walk to my front door, then I'm running. I run up the front steps and rip the door open. I walk in to a horrible scene. My mother is on the floor sobbing, holding onto the boots of two police men who are standing over her. My seventeen year old sister Beth is standing in the corner of the room, soaked in tears, her face expressionless, her eyes empty. No one notices that I've walked in except for one of the police men, who has charming green eyes and red hair._

_"What's going on?" I whimper in a childish voice that surprises me. The police man ignores me and whispers to his partner, the man who is letting my mother leak tears and snot all over his boots. Then the police officer takes me by the arm and leads me out of the room and into the living room. He tells me to sit and I do, I do what I'm told. I'm terrified, I'm so scared._

_"Your father…looking for you…couldn't control the vehicle…flipped four times…didn't make it.." There are only fragments of the officer's words I hear, I feel like I'm going to burst into flames and turn into ash. The police man describes my father's car as unrecognizable, a twisted wreck of metal, just like the Moore Family mailbox. I wished he wouldn't tell me the details, but I can't tell him to be quiet._

_My mother runs into the room and starts screaming again, but she's screaming at me. Words I'll never forget, etched into my brain forever, words that I'll never be able to shake._

_"YOUR FATHER'S DEAD! YOUR FATHER IS DEAD AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"_

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I felt sick…so sick. I could feel bile rising up into my throat and so I desperately tried to push away Momma's twisted face and that awful sound she's making. She's hurting my ears. Everything hurts. Especially the lump in my throat. I'm shaking real bad, I'm too afraid to sit up. My mother hates me. I hate me. She's right of course, it is my fault. If it weren't for me being an asshole and smashing mailboxes he'd be alive. It's my fault, my own goddamn fault. Momma wishes it was me dead, not Daddy. She wants me dead.

"Veronica? You good?" I heard the sound of Eyeball's voice and I sat up, turning to look at him. He was sitting on a old milk crate a few feet away, holding the neck of a beer bottle in his hand.

I realized I was crying, and I wished that I could stop but I knew there was no way I could. This wasn't the first time I had this dream, I had been reliving that awful night in June almost every time I closed my eyes. I hated it, I hated it more than anything. That's why I could never sleep, I never wanted to sleep anymore. I guess that's why I was sleeping so much during the day.

"Bad dream?" Ritchie frowned, climbing back into the car to sit next to me.

"Yeah." I croaked, letting fresh tears squeeze from my eyes. I turned away from him. I hated when Ritchie saw me cry, I hated looking so weak.

"It looks like you need a cigarette." Ritchie gave me a grim smile, pulling out a pack of Winstons. He pulled himself a smoke from the pack and handed me one as well. I mumbled thanks, watching him light up. Ritchie handed me the lighter next, but my hands were shaking too much. "Here." Ritchie said, taking the lighter and lighting it for me.

Ritchie knew not to ask me about my nightmares, he knew to never mention that night in June. We sat in silence for a while, smoking our cigarettes and looking up at the stars in the night sky. I had been asleep for a long time. When I was last conscious, the sky was a light blue. I was nervous about being out so late, but I knew Beth wouldn't mind. When Momma was around, it was a different story, I was to be home by 9:00 every night including on summer holidays, not exceptions. When Momma was on vacation with her newest flame or just drifting around the outskirts of town for a week or two (which was pretty much all the time) that meant I was free to do the things that I wanted. Beth knew hanging around the boys was my own weird way of coping, so she let me be. It seemed like Beth was the only person who didn't hate me in my family, she knew I was just being a stupid teenager when Dad died. She knew it wasn't my fault, and therefore I loved and respected her more than anyone in the entire world.

"We started a fire." Eyeball said, pulling me from my thoughts. He gestured to the orange glow a good distance away from the car with the lip of his bottle. All of the guys were huddled around the fire, Ace and Billy were arguing about something and all the other guys remained quiet, watching and listening.

"What time is it?" I asked him,

"Around 9:30."

"What the fuck." I breathed, laying back down on the seat I had forgotten to recline forward.

"You haven't been sleeping much, have you kid?" Ritchie raised an eyebrow,

"Not really, no."

"This has been a frequent thing." Ritchie sighed, throwing his cigarette away, I watched the orange ember fade and burn out.

"What has?"

"You passing out in the middle of the day. You're not sleeping enough and it ain't healthy."

"I know." I groaned, running my hands through my lifeless locks of black hair. "I'm not taking very good care of myself, am I?"

"You're doin' the best you can Roni." Ritchie mumbled, "It's jus' you're starting to scare me."

I wasn't exactly sure what I was supposed to say to that. I noticed the guys were all staring at us, Fuzzy Bracowicz started whistling and telling Ritchie to "fuck her already" My cheeks turned a bright shade of crimson and I stumbled out of the car.

"She's alive!" Charlie cried, "You guys gonna come over here or what?!"

"Yeah, yeah we're coming." Eyeball grunted. I started to walk towards the fire when Eyeball stopped me, his hand wrapped around my wrist. His touch sent tremors up and down my shaky body. "Hey Ron?" He asked.

"What?" I turned to look at him,

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." I gave him a tight smile, "Now stop feeling sorry for me and lets go roast some goddamn marshmallows."


	4. Chapter 4

It was Monday morning, and I was begging for an excuse to stay in bed. As much as I wanted it not to be, it was my first day back working as a waitress at Blue Point Diner. I'd been working there for about a year before my father died, but I'd been on bereavement leave for about a month.

It was silly really, there was nothing bad about my job. In fact, it was the best job in the world. Before the accident, I loved working there. I loved everyone I worked with. I even voluntarily took on full shifts, working from the crack of dawn till sunset. I worked like a dog and was often exhausted, but I felt great. I hoped I would feel the same way again eventually, maybe working would give me some sort of distraction.

I crawled out of bed and trudged over to my closet. My Blue Point uniform hung at the very back. I stared at it for a few minutes before reluctantly pulling it off the hanger.

Once I had the uniform on, I looked at myself in the mirror. Eyeball constantly teased me when I wore the baby blue dress, white plimsolls, and matching little blue hat. It wasn't my favourite look, but I knew it could be worse. At least I didn't have to wear a giant donut costume and dance around on Main Street like poor Sonny Wilson. Sonny was my age had to make a fool out of himself everyday rain or shine for two bucks an hour. Sometimes it was so hot out there that Sonny looked like he was going to faint. I counted my blessings, so what if I looked a little cutesy?

Lazily, I tied my black-brown hair back with the diner-issued baby blue ribbon and went downstairs to fix myself something to eat. I wasn't used to being up at seven in the morning on summer holidays, I was the type of person who slept all day and was up all night.

"Good mo-" I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw my mother sitting at the kitchen table instead of Beth. I hadn't seen her in a couple of weeks, and I had no hopes on her coming home this early. My mother didn't even bother to look at me, she sat there with a cigarette hanging from the corner of her mouth, she was pretending to be fascinated with the crossword puzzle she was working on instead of interacting with me. This was always her typical behaviour, there was always an excuse she used to get out of communicating with me.

I cleared my throat awkwardly and shuffled over to the pantry. I grabbed the corn flakes and milk and made myself a bowl of cereal. I suddenly didn't feel like eating, the unexpected encounter with my mother was enough to make me lose my appetite.

"You're finally going to work?" My mother said. Her tone was slightly taunting though it was kind of hard to tell because nowadays whenever she bothered to address me she usually sounded monotone.

"Yes, I have to be there in twenty minutes." I mumbled, eating the cereal so fast that I felt like I was going to burst. I carefully placed my plate into the kitchen sink, rinsing it out and stacking it properly so as not to give her something to get mad about. Once you got her worked up it was hard to get her to stop.

I got the hell out of my house as fast as I could. I hated when my mother was around, especially when she showed up out of the blue like that. I avoided my house like the plague when she was back in town. There were times when I would give anything for my mother to love me again but most of the time I hated her guts and wished she'd just leave us for good.

The walk from my house to the diner was only ten minutes, but it seemed longer than usual. I was anxious about starting my job and seeing my mother this early in the morning definitely didn't help things. When I reached town, it started to rain. It hadn't rained in almost two weeks, and telling by how thick and dark the clouds were, we were going to get a storm.

"Shit." I cursed, hoisting the strap of my purse higher onto my shoulder and sprinting to the diner. I ran under the awnings of the various storefronts that decorated Castle Rock's downtown area. The rain drops were getting heavier by the minute, and by the time I could see the Diner's sign, it was raining so heavily it almost echoed against the pavement.

When I got inside the diner, it was like it always was on a rainy Monday morning—dead. The only people who occupied the ox-blood vinyl booths were the old men with giant bifocals reading the newspaper, ordering their coffee black and coughing up fifty years of cigarette smoke. The smell of greasy hamburgers and cigarette smoke made me feel safe and at home again.

"Roni!" Someone squealed and I saw Connie Palermo sprinting towards me wearing the same uniform I had on, her soft chocolate-brown curls bouncing up and down. She threw me into a hug and started jumping up and down. Her happiness was contagious and I started doing the same. I'd barely seen her, or any of my co-workers for that matter since the accident

Connie Palermo was one of the nicest human beings I knew. She came from a strict and conservative catholic family who basically controlled everything she did, but Connie still came out great. Connie and I were really close in grammar school, but drifted apart the year before we started High School. We had been a lot closer again since we were working together, she one of the closest female friends I had.

"You're finally back!" Connie cried, "I can't believe it! How have you been?"

"I've been alright, how about you?" I grinned, straightening out the white apron that was attached to my dress.

"Meh, it's been awful boring without you. The girls are going to freak when they see you!" Connie said, "Hey guys! Roni's back!"

My two other friends scrambled out of the kitchen, they all squealed with delight and gave me huge hugs. I was sort of surprised that I was this missed. Jeanette Balson and Mary Johnson were good friends of mine and the two other waitresses that worked here.

Jeanette was quiet and reserved, she was seventeen and the only person I knew who lived alone. No one knew where her parents were, and no one really seemed to care. Jeanette had this secret rebellious side that not a lot of people knew about. When she wasn't in her baby blue uniform flaunting those big green eyes, she would ride on the backs of strangers motorcycles and drink stolen gin. She often partied with drifters that happened to come through Castle Rock. I saw her once when I was walking home from a party, it was around two in the morning when I saw her hop off an older man's motorcycle, he looked like he was in his early thirties. When I saw her running up the stairs of her apartment, she was wearing clothes that didn't seem to belong to her.

Mary Johnson was the complete opposite. She was outgoing and bubbly, but could never do a bad thing if she tried. Mary was engaged to a boy in Canada, they met when she was on vacation during Spring Break. I think it was hard for Mary being in love with a boy who lived in a different country, she was only eighteen and was unsure about settling down. The distance was starting to get to her, and I think her fiancé was feeling the same way.

"You look great!" Jeanette said, giving me another hug. I was grateful that none of the girls were asking how I was holding up after the accident. I think they knew not to mention it.

I noticed a bleached blonde approaching us, she had a sour expression on her face and stood behind Connie and the girls. She was wearing a uniform as well. The girl looked me up and down, her eyebrows raised. She didn't look like she was the nicest girl in town that's for sure. Connie noticed the girl standing behind her, and she reluctantly introduced her.

"Roni, this is Betty Jansen." Connie said without enthusiasm.

"Hey." I gave her a warm smile, but she didn't return the favour.

"I've heard a lot about you." Betty said flatly, and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing, so I didn't exactly know what to say. I just nodded and Jeanette awkwardly cleared her throat. We then decided there wasn't much else to say, so we all got back to work.

I started off my shift working at the counter, or "the bar" as we called it to sound more professional. When I was working at the bar, I'd be taking orders or making ice cream dishes or drinks such as milkshakes, soda floats, banana splits, sundaes, etc. When it was quiet as it was today, and the bar was vacant; I'd be drying out freshly washed ice cream dishes with a rag, and stacking them on the shelf once they were dry. I loved working at the bar, it was close to the jukebox so I got to hear the music when I'd be working, and I got a first look at the customers that would come through the door. This time, Connie was helping me out with taking the dried dishes and stacking them.

"So, what's going on with you and Eyeball?" Connie asked me with a suggestive expression on her face, as if I had to fess up about something.

"What do you mean?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Are you two fucking yet or what?"

My eyes widened at her words and I set down the dish I was drying out. "_Connie!_" I hissed.

"What?" Connie grinned, "Oh come on I bet you two would be great in the sack."

"Shut up!" I cried, chucking my rag at her. Connie started laughing loudly, causing the five or six customers in the diner to look up at us with annoyance for disturbing their peace and quiet.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing you two haven't ended up together." Connie said, lowering her voice and coming in closer so I could hear her whisper. "Because he and Betty Jansen have spent a lot of time together lately."

"Really?" I frowned, a bit surprised that this was the first time I'd heard of this.

"Uh-huh." Connie nodded, "I saw Eyeball pick her up from here a few days ago."

I found it weird that Eyeball or the guys hadn't told me about his new lady friend. What I also found strange, was that Eyeball hadn't been answering any of my phone calls since the drive out to the vacant lot, which was three days ago.

I watched Betty from the counter. She was really pretty, and I could see why Eyeball hung around her. I couldn't help but feel a bit jealous, I guess that's why Eyeball hadn't been taking my calls the past few days, he was too busy with this new waitress.

"What's her deal anyway? Where did she even come from?" I asked Connie as she stacked the rest of the glasses onto the shelf.

"Someone jealous?" Connie cocked an eyebrow, and I snorted; getting the cleaner from under the bar so I could wipe down the counter-tops and bar stools.

"No, I'm just wondering where she came from. I haven't seen her around is all."

"Well, she moved here from California about a month ago, that's what I heard." Connie said, watching me spritz down the counter with cleaner before wiping it down with the rag I was using to dry dishes.

The front door swung open and the bells that hung above it chimed happily. Speaking of new people in town, a handsome looking boy about my age with chestnut-brown hair sauntered into the diner. I'd never seen him before, and considering the surprised expression on Connie's face, she hadn't seen him around either.

He looked around the diner for a second or two before noticing Connie and I gaping at him from the bar. The boy flashed us a smile and a rosy blush danced over my pale cheeks. The boy walked over to the bar and my heart started beating faster than I was used to. I hadn't had such an admiration over a boy since Junior High, when I decided I was in love with my sixth grade teacher.

"I'll let you have this one— you're welcome." Connie had whispered to me as he approached, leaving me alone with the mysterious boy.

"Hello." The boy said, taking a seat at one of the bar stools. The encounter with this gorgeous boy, made the hurt feelings about Eyeball not bothering to take my calls because of a new girl, disappear.

"Hi."

"It's sure a pisser out there huh?" The handsome brunette gestured to the heavy rainfall outside that was pelting the sidewalks and roads. The boy was soaked with rain, droplets of water falling from his nose and eyelashes and hitting the counter.

"For sure." I smiled, "Can I get you anything?" I asked him, pulling the notepad I had out of my apron pocket.

"Your number would be a great start." The boy grinned. I wasn't sure if I had imagined what he just said, not one single boy in this town had shown any interest in me besides Charlie Hogan. I laughed in disbelief and the boy sort of laughed along nervously.

"I'm sorry… what?" I asked him, just to make sure what he'd just said was true.

"You're very beautiful, I was wondering if you had a phone I could call you on." The boy explained himself more clearly and I started blushing again. I hated that a boy could make me act so dumb.

"Uh...sure." I said, using my notepad to jot down my phone number. I couldn't believe how fast this was going, I had met this boy maybe three minutes ago and now I was writing down my goddamn phone number for him. I wasn't this much of a sucker for guys, but for some reason this boy had me under some weird sort of spell. Maybe it was his brown eyes, or his dimples. Either or, I had let my tough-girl-guard down and was acting as soft as a baby blanket.

I slid the mystery boy my number and he smiled, "Veronica." He said, reading out my name that I had written above the digits. He repeated it, "Veronica."

"You can call me Roni." I said, "That's what everyone calls me."

"Do you mind if I call you Veronica?" The boy raised an eyebrow, "Switch things around a bit?"

"Uh...no...no that's fine with me." I stammered, mentally smacking myself for sounding so awkward and stupid.

"My name is Johnny, Johnny Moore." Johnny said, "How old are you Veronica?"

"Sixteen."

"Wow."

"What?" I raised an eyebrow,

"That's a tough age." Johnny smirked, fiddling with a gold ring on his index finger. I noticed the words "CLASS OF 1959" in bold red letters engraved in gold.

"How old are you?" I frowned, by the formal way he spoke and the fact that he graduated two years ago, Johnny sounded and looked a bit older than I did. Older than I predicted him to be.

"I'm twenty." Johnny said, "I'm old, I know."

"Nah, I've seen worse." I said, secretly gesturing to one of the old men sitting at the booths. Johnny laughed. We talked for a little longer, asking the usual questions you'd ask one another when you first meet. I learned that Johnny Moore was from New York. He had gotten into Yale Law School, which was one of the best law schools in the U.S. He had true dreams of becoming a lawyer. Johnny's grandmother, whom he was closest with in his family; lived in Castle Rock. She died a month ago and Johnny volunteered to look after the house for a bit until his parents (whom were very busy lawyers themselves) got the time off to drive up there as well to settle the final arrangements on the property.

We had talked for a good half-hour when I realized I needed to get back to work. Johnny wanted to take me to a movie the next day and I agreed without hesitation, before he left the diner he promised to call me that night. I couldn't believe a boy as attractive as Johnny Moore wanted to take me to a movie, I was still in disbelief that any of the current events had just happened. The only evidence that I hadn't imagined the whole thing, was the five dollar tip he left for me (which was a lot of money back then), and the swinging of the front door after he'd pushed it open and left.

"What was all that about?!' Connie whispered excitedly from behind me, pulling me away from my thoughts. I turned around to met her gaze, noticing Jeanette and Mary were with her.

"We just talked." I shrugged, walking past them to get the broom from the corner of the room.

"Oh come on, there has to be more than that! " Mary whined, following me around the diner as I swept the floors.

"Yeah what the hell happened? Tell us!" Jeanette said, and I couldn't help but smirk. I couldn't pretend that what had just happened was insignificant.

"Alight fine. He asked me for me number and…" I grinned watching the girls anticipation for me to finish my sentence, "He wants to take me to a movie tomorrow."

"You're shitting me!" Mary's eyes widened, "That's goddamn brilliant!"

"His name is Johnny Moore and he's from New York. He's twenty and he goes to Yale Law School." I beamed with pride, putting away the broom. I was too giddy and distracted to sweep right now. I noticed the few guests in the diner had their eyes on all four of us but I was too overjoyed to care. This wasn't only one of first times a guy took a real interest in me, but it was the first time I felt real genuine happiness.

"Holy shit. Yale?!" Mary squeaked, "That's one of the best law schools in the country!"

"What are you going to wear?" Connie asked me, grinning.

"I'm not sure..I haven't even thought about that."

"Well, you're inviting me over tomorrow night so I can help you out." Connie winked, "I wished I had a job where I just dressed people up for their dates. Hey Mary, you remember when I dressed you up for your date with Tommy?"

"How could I forget!" Mary gushed, "Our flame didn't last long, but that night he couldn't keep his hands off of me."

"He's going to call me tonight." I said, changing the subject. There were some topics that needed to be saved for outside of the diner, and one of them was having a guy not be able to keep his hands off of you.

"Wow this guy really likes you!" Connie cried.

"I sure hope so." I biting back the giant smile creeping onto my lips. Things were finally getting good, but what I didn't know; was that it would all come crashing down sooner than I was ready for. If there was one thing I could've told myself, it would be to never get your hopes up.


End file.
